Vaballathus

Vaballathus (259-274) was Emperor of the Palmyrene Empire from 267 to 272, succeeding Odaenathus and preceding Septimius Antiochus, with his mother Zenobia serving as his regent due to his youth.

Biography
Vaballathus was born in Palmyra, the son of Odaenathus and Zenobia. In 267 AD, his father and his half-brother Hairan I were murdered by their relative Maeonius, who briefly ruled as a usurper before being overthrown and executed. Vaballathus, as the next in line to the throne, inherited the title of King of Palmyra at the age of eight years; his mother served as regent. The Roman emperor Aurelian initially recognized Vaballathus' rule as he fought against the Gallic Empire in the west, but relations between the Roman Empire and the Palmyrene Empire soon deteriorated, and, in 270 AD, Zenobia oversaw several successful campaigns which resulted in the Palmyrene conquest of Egypt and other Roman provinces in the Levant. In 272, Aurelian counterattacked, crossing the Bosphorus and invading Syria, where he defeated Zenobia's armies and forced Palmyra to surrender. In 274 AD, Aurelian planned to bring Zenobia and Vaballathus to Rome in order to parade them around as part of his triumphal celebrations, but Vaballathus died while en route.